A trend can be defined as a graphical representation of a variable’s tendency, over time, to increase, decrease or remain unchanged. Usually a trend is represented in a trend control chart, who represents the deviation from an expected trend and it is used to evaluate the stability of a process (American Society for Quality, ASQ)
In the MDR and IVDR context, the purpose is to monitor the number of incidents not classified as serious incidents, over time, via EUDAMED, in order to determine if the benefit-risk analysis of the device has changed.